His searing analyses and ability to see the forest as well as the trees make for an absorbing and infuriating read as he highlights the strategic missteps, bad decisions, needless loss of life, horrific war crimes, and political hubris that often accompany war.
An informative, readable compendium of the many fallacies of modern warfare—
NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK MAY 2016 from Hachette Books Group
THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah is a unique, myth-shattering, and insightful look at war—why we fight, who fights our wars and what we need to know but perhaps never learned about the growth and development of America’s military forces.
Starting with the founding of the nation and on through the war in Iraq, Davis provides an indepth examination based on his belief that it is “nearly a moral imperative to understand war.” Arguing that from its earliest days, America has had an uneasy relationship with the military, Davis charts how our country’s military developed from a group of rag-tag “citizen soldiers” in 1775 to the high-tech, global and increasingly privatized organization it is today, and what can we learn from that transformation. Davis makes his case through rich storytelling and analysis of six landmark battles:
The real stories behind these six battles speak to something much larger than casualty counts and simple assessments of winners and losers. In THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR, Davis introduces readers to some of the little known but important faces behind the conflicts, and underscores the importance of the courage and sacrifices of the men and women who have fought our wars for centuries.
There’s only one person who can top Kenneth C. Davis—and that’s Kenneth C. Davis. With The Hidden History of America at War, he’s composed yet another brilliant, thought-provoking, and compelling book. But along with uncovering extraordinary and yet little-known stories that readers will find absolutely captivating, Davis demonstrates why learning about these conflicts—even those from the Revolution and the Civil War—are incredibly relevant to the present day. Davis offers a hard-hitting and sometimes critical look at some of the most consequential wartime decisions made by presidents and policy makers, but his admiration and respect for the men and women who have served and sacrificed so much for this nation is unwavering.
With his trademark storytelling flair, Kenneth C. Davis illuminates six critical, but often overlooked battles that helped define America’s character and its evolving response to conflict. This fascinating and strikingly insightful book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand our nation’s bloody history of war.
A fascinating exploration of war and the myths of war. Kenneth C. Davis shows how interesting the truth can be.
